Written Answers Monday 24 January 2005

Scottish Executive

Autism

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with autistic spectrum disorders living in residential care had to pay for their personal care costs in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the Scottish Executive provides funding for the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability’s eSay project which is developing a national learning disability and autistic spectrum disorder database. The database will be able to be interrogated for this type of information in future.

Autism

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with autistic spectrum disorders in hospital and residential care who have been sectioned paid for their personal care costs in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: Information on people detained under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 is recorded only on the basis of mental impairment or severe mental impairment.

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S2W-13439, on 24 January 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/wa.search.

Bridges

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much financial support it has provided to maintain the (a) Forth and (b) Tay Road Bridge since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has not provided any support funding to maintain the Forth Road Bridge since 1999.

  Capital borrowing consents totalling £7.507 million were made available to the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board, which owns and operates the Tay Road Bridge, in the years 1999-2000 to 2003-04. From 1 April 2004 support funding is being paid in the form of capital grant, which is set at £2.3 million for the current year.

Bridges

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of outstanding debt on the (a) Forth and (b) Tay Road Bridge is and what the annual cost is of servicing such debt.

Nicol Stephen: There is no outstanding debt on the Forth Road Bridge, which is owned and operated by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.

  The Tolled Bridges Review: Phase One Report, published by the Scottish Executive, noted that the loan debt held by the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board, which owns and operates the Tay Road Bridge, amounted to some £16.6 million at 31 March 2004. A copy of the report is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34847).

Bridges

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs of operating the (a) Forth and (b) Tay Road Bridge have been since its opening.

Nicol Stephen: These are matters for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board respectively, as they own and operate these bridges.

Bridges

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board regarding the consideration of options for relocating the toll-collecting stations to the Fife end of the road bridge to help reduce the level of congestion and pollution in the Dundee city centre area.

Nicol Stephen: We hold regular discussions with Tay Road Bridge Joint Board on a range of issues, and are aware that the board is considering the possible relocation of the tolling booths as part of a range of measures to improve toll collection and reduce congestion at the bridge. Decisions on such a move are a matter for the joint board.

Census

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 will have on gaining access to census records held by the General Register Office for Scotland.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives an absolute exemption from access to personal census information. The exemption applies for 100 years commencing at the beginning of the calendar year following the year in which the records were created. Census information from the census held in 1911 will therefore be available from 2012. The protection to this category of information is required in order to underwrite assurances of confidentiality given to those who complete census returns.

Children's Hearings

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals have been made to children's panels in each of the last five years.

Euan Robson: Detailed information on the number of children referred by Children’s Reporters to a Children’s Hearing has only been available since 2002 with the roll-out of the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration’s national database (the Referrals Administration Database). Prior to 2002 data was collated on grounds of referral considered at Children’s Hearings rather than the number of children referred.

  The most recent data available is set out in the following table:

  Number of Children Referred to Children’s Hearings

  

 
2001-02
2002-03


Non-Offence Grounds
3,330
3,318


Offence Grounds
1,446
1,334


Both 
699
748


Total
5,475
5,400

Communities

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of "community".

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive uses the commonly held definition that community can mean either communities of place or communities of interest. The important thing is to ensure that the practical application of our definition is wide enough to cover the diverse range of communities which we serve.

Community Regeneration

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the allocation of the Community Regeneration Fund was calculated for Glasgow and what representations it received from Glasgow City Council prior to that allocation being made.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Glasgow’s allocation reflects ministers’ determination to target the Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) on our most disadvantaged communities.

  Two-thirds of the CRF has been allocated to the most deprived 15 per cent of data zones identified through the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004. Of these 976 zones, 373 are in Glasgow.

  The remaining funds have been allocated to those Community Planning Partnerships, including Glasgow, with above average (i.e. more than 15 per cent) concentration of deprivation in their area.

  We received no written representations from Glasgow City Council prior to the allocation being made.

Concessionary Travel

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement on concessionary travel on 22 December 2004, how much the proposed smart card scheme will cost.

Nicol Stephen: Current estimates indicate that the cost of providing appropriate bus infrastructure to support the use of Smartcards for concessionary travel will be in the region of £9 million.

Concessionary Travel

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement on concessionary travel on 22 December 2004, whether it will provide detailed estimates in respect of the cost of the concessionary travel scheme for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

Nicol Stephen: As indicated in my statement, the maximum payment for the national free bus scheme for older and disabled people will be £159 million in 2006-07 and £163 million in 2007-08. Actual expenditure within that cap will depend on the number of concessionary passengers and the cost of the journeys carried out. As also indicated in my statement, payment will be at the rate of 73.6% of the average adult fare.

Council Tax

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much council tax bills have risen since 1999, expressed both in monetary terms and as a percentage, and by how much it expects council tax bills to rise in each of the next three years.

Tavish Scott: The table below shows the increase in Scotland average band D council tax for each year from 1999-2000 to 2004-05. In total, over this period the Scotland average band D council tax has risen by £204 or 24.1%.

  

Year
Scotland Average Band D Council Tax (£)
Increase


£
Percentage


1999-2000
849
-
-


2000-01
886
37
4.4%


2001-02
929
43
4.9%


2002-03
971
41
4.5%


2003-04
1,009
38
3.9%


2004-05
1,053
44
4.4%



  Indicative council tax levels for 2005-06, supplied by local authorities in March 2004, show a projected annual increase in the Scotland average band D council tax of 4.6% to £1,101.

  Local authorities have not yet set provisional budgets for 2006-07 and 2007-08 and so no information is available on the likely levels of council tax. However, the settlement local government received in the most recent Scottish Budget is based upon councils increasing council tax by no more than 2.5% in 2006-07 and 2007-08. We therefore continue to urge councils to keep council tax rises to reasonable levels in 2005-06 and beyond.

Council Tax

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the collection rates were for council tax for 2003-04, broken down by local authority.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information can be found on Audit Scotland’s website:

  http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/pdf/2005/05pi02ac.pdf.

Council Tax

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to increase the 2007-08 local authority settlement so that local authorities are able not to reduce services or raise council taxes.

Mr Tom McCabe: There are no plans in place to reopen the outcome of Spending Review 2004 which provided the funding for the 2007-08 local authority settlement.

  In my statement to Parliament on 8 December setting out the Local Government Finance Settlement, I announced a robust funding package for local authorities for the next three years. This package included an increase in funding through Aggregate External Finance (AEF) of 10.4% over the three years 2005-08. This package is designed to provide a level of Executive funding which, together with a contribution from council tax income, will not only maintain existing levels of service but provide growth in key areas like care in the community and roads maintenance. The council tax contribution assumes increases of around only 2.5% in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.

  In making my statement, I did acknowledge that the 2007-08 package is perceived by some to be tight but I will continue the dialogue with COSLA and individual local authorities on the matter of the 2007-08 funding package and this dialogue will be undertaken in the context of the overall Scottish budget and local government’s progress in implementing the Scottish Executive’s efficient government plan that expects overall savings from local government of £325 million.

Crime

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were sentenced to custody as a result of convictions for carrying a knife in each of the last five years.

Hugh Henry: The available information for the relevant crime categories in the Scottish Executive Justice Department classification of crimes and offences is given in the table.

  Custodial Convictions in Scottish Courts for Handling an Offensive Weapon1, Scotland, 1998-2002

  

 Year
Possession of an Offensive Weapon3
Having in A Public Place an Article with a Blade or a Point
Total


1998
207
298
505


1999
214
296
510


2000
254
348
602


2001
292
359
651


20022
257
417
674



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Figures may be underestimates due to time taken to record details of some court proceedings.

  3. Knives cannot be identified separately from other types of offensive weapon in the data held for this crime category.

Crime

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes of carrying a knife were recorded in each of the last 10 years.

Hugh Henry: The available information for the relevant crime categories in the Scottish Executive Justice Department classification of crimes and offences is given for the years 1994 to 1998 in the following table. For information for the years 1999 to 2002, I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-1085 answered on 22 July 2003. For the equivalent information for 2003, I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11534 on 11 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa .

  Crimes of Possession of an Offensive Weapon and having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or a Point, Recorded by the Police 1994 to 1998

  

Year
Possession of an Offensive Weapon1
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


1994
3,225
2,056
5,281


1995
3,627
2,831
6,458


1996
4,341
2,481
6,822


1997
4,079
1,901
5,980


1998
4,342
2,397
6,739



  Note: 1. Knives cannot be identified separately from other types of offensive weapon in the data held for this crime category.

Crime

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for reducing youth crime.

Cathy Jamieson: A target of a 10% reduction in the number of persistent young offenders by 2006 was published in our 2002 Spending Review proposals (Bib. number 24102).

  In our 2004 Spending Review proposals (Bib. number 33956) we announced a target of a further 10% reduction in persistent offenders by March 2008.

Crime

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many serious assaults were reported between 24 December 2004 and 5 January 2005 and how many arrests were made relating to such assaults, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not available centrally. The information available centrally comes from quarterly recorded crime returns from the police. These returns provide only aggregate figures for the numbers of serious assaults recorded by the police in the relevant quarter and do not distinguish the dates that these crimes were reported to the police. Information on arrests made by the police is not collected centrally.

Dentistry

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12428 by Rhona Brankin on 24 December 2004, how many dental practices in the Scottish Borders provided NHS treatment in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04, expressed also as a percentage of all practices for each year.

Rhona Brankin: The number of dental practices in the Scottish Borders providing NHS treatment at 31 March in the relevant years is shown in the table.

  It is not possible to express this number as a percentage of all practices in the Scottish Borders, as information on non-NHS dental practices is not held centrally.

  Number of General Dental Practices in NHS Borders Providing NHS Treatment1; at 31 March

  

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


17
17
19
19
20



  Source: MIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System).

  Note: 1. Dental practices with at least one dentist within the practice providing NHS general dental services.

Dentistry

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12428 by Rhona Brankin on 24 December 2004 and given that the Scottish Borders accounts for 2% of the Scottish population, why 22% of all NHS dental patients deregistered in 2002-03 and 37% deregistered in 2003-04 were from the Scottish Borders; what inquiries it has made to determine the reasons for these percentages and what additional information it has gathered as a result; what measures it has taken to address this situation; what interim guidance it has issued to deregistered patients in respect of obtaining NHS dental treatment; whether travel costs will be available for patients who are required to seek treatment furth of the Scottish Borders, and what its statutory duties are in respect of the accessible provision of NHS dental services.

Rhona Brankin: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Borders. NHS Borders has advised that the increase in the number of de-registrations in 2002-03 and 2003-04 was due to dental practices in Duns, Eyemouth, Peebles and Hawick reducing their commitment to NHS general dental services.

  NHS Borders has established an advice line, staffed by a dental nurse who is able to offer advice on pain relief, advice on access issues and make arrangements for unregistered patients who require urgent treatment.

  The Executive continues to support NHS Borders by approving salaried general dental practitioner posts where required. Approval was given to NHS Borders in August 2004 to appoint a further two whole-time equivalent salaried dentists for Hawick and in January 2005 for a senior salaried dentist with a special interest in oral surgery. I understand these posts are currently vacant but that one of the Hawick posts will be filled in March 2005.

  NHS Borders has not issued any formal interim guidance to deregistered patients in respect of obtaining NHS dental treatment. However, general dental practitioners, GP out-of-hours, NHS24 and hospitals are aware of the Borders advice line and are able to direct patients to this.

  NHS boards can apply to Scottish ministers for approval of schemes to assist eligible patients with travel expenses to access primary care NHS dental treatment. The funding for such schemes comes from within the board’s unified budget.

  It is a duty of Scottish ministers to secure the provision of general dental services in accordance with Part II of the NHS (Scotland) Act 1978. It is a duty, under section 25 of Part II of the NHS (Scotland) Act 1978, of every health board, in accordance with regulations, to make as respect their area arrangements with dental practitioners under which any person for whom a dental practitioner undertakes in accordance with the arrangements to provide dental treatment and appliances shall receive such treatment and appliances.

Development

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the Granton waterfront consultation to be an example of a grass-roots community consultation.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The redevelopment of the Granton waterfront is being led by Waterfront Edinburgh Limited. This is a Joint Venture Company created by the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. The Board of Waterfront Edinburgh Limited includes three elected members from the City of Edinburgh Council.

  This is major industrial and brownfield redevelopment project which is expected to span over 12 to 15 years. The development plans for the area are based on a masterplan that was published in December 2000. The masterplan was developed in consultation with various stakeholders and community groups. In addition to this, development in the area is subject to the usual planning requirements with regards to public consultation.

Diligence and Bankruptcy Bill

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce its Diligence and Bankruptcy Bill.

Mr Jim Wallace: Consultation on the draft Bankruptcy & Diligence (Scotland) Bill ended on 30 September 2004 and the responses are in the final stage of analysis. Decisions on introduction are yet to be finally made, but we have already announced our intention to bring forward legislation in the lifetime of this Parliament to modernise the laws of personal bankruptcy and diligence in Scotland. This will be done at the earliest appropriate legislative opportunity.

Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it intends to bring forward a revised code of practice for the safe use of plant protection products.

Ross Finnie: We expect to introduce a revised code of practice later in the year.

Europe

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates any legal difficulties arising under EU competition regulations between its commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to "promote quality contracts for bus services" and its role in approving any such contracts.

Nicol Stephen: No. The Scottish Executive ensures that it acts in accordance with European Law in performing all of its functions including in the role it would take in approving any quality contracts for bus services. The legislative mechanism for this is set out in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.

Europe

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been of work carried out in connection with the tendering of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, showing the cost of civil servants' time and other costs, such as costs of consultants and advisers.

Nicol Stephen: The breakdown of direct costs incurred by the Executive (to end January 2005) in connection with the EU requirements in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is set out in the table below. It does not include the cost of senior officials in Transport Group, specialist officials or ministers as their time cannot be separately accounted for. Neither does it include a proportion of the overheads which the Executive accrues generally. The figures have been calculated in cash terms.

  

Staffing (Note1)
£ 800,000 (approx)


Travel and Subsistence Expenses for Officials (Note 2)
£12,000 (approx)


Consultation Exercises (Note 3)
£40,000 (approx) (incl. VAT)


External Advice (Note 4)
£286,000 (approx) (incl. VAT)


Total
£1,138 million



  Notes:

  1. A dedicated team of officials has been in place to deal with the EU requirements in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services since November 1999. Individual staff costs (including pension and NI contributions) are complex to calculate. This figure is derived from the structure of the team from November 1999 to the present and average full staff costs for each relevant grade for each financial year.

  2. Travel and subsistence incurred by the dedicated team of officials. It does not include a proportion for ministers.

  3. This includes design, printing and postage. It does not include staff time which is accounted for separately.

  4. The Executive has commissioned external advice, totally approximately £286,000, where the expertise was not available internally:

  -research to provide additional evidence to the commission on the uniqueness of the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet. This supported the Executive’s proposals to retain the fleet in public ownership and to bind the successful bidder to those vessels.

  -technical advice on the service specifications for the Clyde and Hebrides services and the Gourock to Dunoon route.

  -technical advice on the proposed restructuring of Caledonian MacBrayne

  -research into the application of the EU rules in other member states. This research is due to be completed shortly.

Europe

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of the tender process of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, showing costs of any external consultants to be used.

Nicol Stephen: I refer to the response to S2W-13266 on 24 January 2005 in relation to the cost of the work carried out to the end of January 2005 in connection with the EU requirements in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

  There is no formal estimate of the future cost to the Executive of the tender process. However, if the tendering goes ahead, I expect that a similar team of officials to that which is currently working on the tendering proposals would be in place until contract handover date. On the basis that contract handover takes place in late 2007 staff costs would be approximately £550,000 in current prices. As with the reply to S2W-13266 this figure does not include the cost of senior officials in Transport Group, specialist officials or ministers as their time cannot be separately accounted for. Neither does it include a proportion of the overheads which the Executive accrues generally.

  Further external technical advice would be commissioned to finalise the service specification, to assist in the Executive’s evaluation of bids and to support the Executive in monitoring and managing the contract handover and implementation. I would anticipate that this will cost in the region of £200,000 to 300,000. These costs are, of course, estimates and would depend on a number of factors, for example, the number of bidders, the complexity of tender negotiations and issues arising during contract handover.

Europe

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to obtain agreement from the European Union to any alternative proposals to tendering the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Nicol Stephen: During the parliamentary debate on ferry services on 8 December 2004 the Parliament expressed concerns regarding the tendering process. I agreed to discuss these concerns with the European Commission and raised this issue with the European Transport Commissioner, M Barrot, when I met him in Brussels on 9 December 2004. Following that meeting I wrote to M Barrot asking whether there was any way, within the terms of European law relating to maritime cabotage, to allow the Clyde and Hebrides services to continue to be delivered on a subsidised basis without the need to tender. Further discussions are taking place between the Executive and the European Commission and I will report back to Parliament on this issue as soon as possible.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a summary of measures agreed to at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels in December 2004 that relate directly to the west coast.

Ross Finnie: Full details about all measures agreed at Council are set out in Council Regulations 27/2005 (TAC and Quota Regulation) and 2270/2004 (Deep-Sea Fish Stocks), which are available through the website of the Official Journal of the European Union.

  Measures directly affecting the west coast include significant increases to the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for Nephrops, Northern Anglerfish and Haddock. A table setting out the TAC levels for the majority of West of Scotland fisheries is provided. In light of scientific advice about the depleted West of Scotland cod stock, agreement was also reached on a reduction by two in the baseline number of permitted days at sea inside the West of Scotland cod recovery zone for vessels using whitefish (100mm plus) nets. However, an additional day is available to offset this, by way of a derogation for vessels fishing with nets of a mesh size of 120mm or above, subject to compliance with associated conditions. Days at sea available for other categories of fishing gear and areas of the cod recovery zone including to the west of Scotland are reduced by one day per month. It was also agreed that there should be no expansion in the size of the closed area introduced in 2004 to the west of Orkney and that the cod recovery zone should remain a single area for the purposes of the transfer of days between vessels and in the determination of access provisions.

  Measures for Deep Sea stocks included reductions in a number of quotas, in accordance with scientific advice that suggests these species are being harvested at an unsustainable level.

  

Stock
2005 TAC (tonnes)
% Change from 2004


Anglerfish Vb, VI, XII, XIV
4,686
+47%


Blue Ling VI, VII
3137
-17%


Blue whiting Vb, VI, VII, XII, XIV
474,333
+126%


Cod Vb, VI, XII, XIV
721
-15%


 of which limit in Vb, VIa is:
692
-15%


Haddock VIa, Vb
7,600
+17%


Haddock VIb, XII, XIV
702
0


Herring Vb, VIaN, VIb
30,100
0


Herring Via (Clyde)
1,000
0


Horse mackerel Vb, VI, VII,VIIIa,b,d,e, XII, XIV
137,000
0


Ling VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIV 
14,966
0


Mackerel IIa (non EC), Vb, VI, VII, VIIIabde, XII, XIV
217,467
-27%


Megrim Vb, VI, XII, XIV
2,880
-20%


Nephrops Vb, VI
12,700
+12%


Plaice Vb, VI, XII, XIV
982
-20%


Pollack Vb, VI, XII, XIV
563
-20%


Saithe Vb, VI, XII, XIV
15,044
-24%


Tusk V, VI, VII
604
- 15%


Whiting Vb, VI, XII, XIV
1,600
0

Fuel

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will establish its group to look into bioethoanol and biodiesel as alternative sources of energy.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is already represented on the Official Low Carbon Group and the Ministerial Low Carbon Group. These groups oversee the implementation of the UK Powering Vehicles Strategy , which aims to promote the development and take-up of new vehicle technologies and cleaner fuels, including biofuels in Scotland.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a national review of chiropody services for older people, including into whether the existing criteria for the availability of free services are adequate to meet the needs of older people on low incomes.

Mr Andy Kerr: There are no plans to carry out a national review of chiropody services for older people. The planning and provision of NHS podiatry services is a matter for NHS boards. The issue of access to NHS podiatry services is a matter for clinical decision in the light of the health needs of individual patients. As part of NHS service provision there is no charge for patients who receive NHS podiatry services.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12956 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 December 2004 regarding the committee of the National Framework for Service Change, what the geographical base is of each member of the sub-group.

Mr Andy Kerr: Name
Designation
Area 


Prof David Kerr
Rhodes Professor of Cancer Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford
Oxford


Mr Peter Bates
Chairman, NHS Tayside
Dundee


Dr Roger Gibbins
Chief Executive, NHS Grampian
Inverness


Dr Lesley Holdsworth
Clinical Effectiveness Co-Ordinator
Forth Valley


Ms Alexis Jay
Director of Social Work, West Dunbartonshire Council
West Dunbartonshire


Prof Nora Kearney
Professor of Cancer Nursing and Director of Cancer Care Research, University of Stirling
Stirling


Mr James Kennedy
Chairman of Scottish Partnership Forum
Edinburgh


Prof Jillian Morrison
Prof of General Practice and Deputy Associate Dean of Education, University of Glasgow
Glasgow


Mrs Lesley Summerhill
Director of Nursing, NHS Tayside
Dundee


Dr Charles Swainson
Medical Director, NHS Lothian
Edinburgh


Prof Graham Teasdale
President of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Glasgow


Prof Gillian Needham
Post Graduate Dean, University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen


Mrs Irene Sweeney
Chair of Scottish Pensioners Forum
Glasgow


Mrs Jae Ferguson
Chair of Mid Argyll Maternity Users Forum
Argyll

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many maxillofacial units there are in the NHS and where they are located.

Mr Andy Kerr: A list of the 41 hospitals undertaking maxillofacial in-patient and day case treatment during the year to 30 September 2004 is provided in the following table.

  NHSScotland: Hospital Undertaking Maxillofacial1 In-Patient and Day Case Treatment During the Year Ending 30 September 2004P

  

NHS Board
Location


Argyll and Clyde:
Inverclyde Royal Hospital


Lorn and Islands District General Hospital


Royal Alexandra Hospital


Vale of Leven District General Hospital


Ayrshire and Arran
Crosshouse Hospital


The Ayr Hospital


Borders
Borders General Hospital


Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary


Garrick Hospital


Fife
Queen Margaret Hospital


Victoria Hospital


Forth Valley
Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary


Stirling Royal Infirmary


Grampian
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary


Dr Gray’s Hospital


Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital


Greater Glasgow
Canniesburn Hospital


Glasgow Dental Hospital and School


Glasgow Royal Infirmary


Royal Hospital for Sick Children


Southern General Hospital


Stobhill Hospital


Victoria Infirmary


Western Infirmary/Gartnavel General


Highland
Belford Hospital


Caithness General Hospital


Raigmore Hospital


Lanarkshire
Hairmyres Hospital


Monklands Hospital


Wishaw General Hospital


Lothian
Roodlands General Hospital


Royal Hospital for Sick Children


Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France


St John's Hospital At Howden


Western General Hospital


Orkney
Balfour Hospital


Shetland
Gilbert Bain Hospital



  NHSScotland: Hospital Undertaking Maxillofacial1 In-Patient and Day Case Treatment During the Year Ending 30 September 2004P

  

Tayside
Ninewells Hospital


Perth Royal Infirmary


Stracathro Hospital


Western Isles
Western Isles Hospital



  PProvisional.

  Note: 1. Operations defined using the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys 4th Revision Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures (OPCS4). Maxillofacial surgery is defined using OPCS4 F08-F18 AND V01-V21 recorded as primary operations.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the establishment of maxillofacial consultant posts is and how many such consultants are currently in post, broken down by maxillofacial unit and expressed also per 100,000 head of population.

Mr Andy Kerr: Data is not available by maxillofacial unit. However, tables 1 and 2 provide figures for consultants in maxillofacial specialties (Surgery and Radiology) by NHS board. These figures are likely to be an undercount of all maxillofacial consultants because maxillofacial consultants working in oral surgery cannot be explicitly identified.

  Table 1: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Consultants Employed in NHSScotland by NHS Board (as at 30 September 2003)

  

.
Establishment
Staff in Post
Population
Whole-Time Equivalent Consultants in Post Per 100,000 Population


Headcount
Whole-Time Equivalent
Headcount
Whole-Time Equivalent


Scotland
10
10.0
7
7.0
5,057,400
0.14


NHS Ayrshire and Arran 
2
2.0
2
2.0
367,140
0.54


NHS Forth Valley 
2
2.0
2
2.0
279,680
0.72


NHS Grampian 
1
1.0
0
0.0
523,390
0.00


NHS Lanarkshire 
1
1.0
1
1.0
553,440
0.18


NHS Lothian 
4
4.0
2
2.0
780,010
0.26



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Table 2: Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology Consultants Employed in NHSScotland by NHS Board (as at 30 September 2003)

  

 
Establishment
Staff in Post
Population
Whole-Time Equivalent Consultants in Post Per 100,000 Population


Headcount
Whole-Time Equivalent
Headcount
Whole-Time Equivalent


Scotland
2
1.6
2
1.6
5,057,400
0.03


NHS Greater Glasgow 
1
0.6
1
0.6
866,370
0.07


NHS Tayside 
1
1.0
1
1.0
386,550
0.26



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Staff in post and establishment figures are sourced from the Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

  2. Population figures are mid 2003 estimates sourced from the General Register Office for Scotland.

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to identify the extent of unidentified hepatitis C infection.

Mr Andy Kerr: As part of its response to the challenges of hepatitis C, the Executive is developing, in consultation with stakeholders, an action plan which will identify the main issues and the specific actions needed. The plan will be supported by appropriate education and training materials for health professionals and measures to raise public awareness, with the focus on groups most at risk and their families.

  The measures to be used to raise public awareness and to identify those people who may not know they carry the hepatitis C infection will be developed, taking account of evidence based social research and using any available evaluations from similar communication strategies.

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to tackle stigma and discrimination associated with hepatitis C infection and to encourage those most at risk to come forward for screening.

Mr Andy Kerr: These are issues, which are being considered in the context of the action plan, to which the answer to question S2W-13550 on 24 January 2005 refers. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of hepatitis C infection it estimates there are and on what evidence this estimate has been based.

Mr Andy Kerr: Health Protection Scotland estimates that approximately 50,000 persons in Scotland have been infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) of whom some 20,000 have been diagnosed. The estimate of 50,000 is based on a wide range of HCV prevalence data which were generated through surveys of high and low-risk populations during 1996-2004. Numerous surveys of injecting drug users throughout Scotland have been performed and these indicate prevalences of between 30% and 80%. Other populations surveyed include pregnant women, genito-urinary medicine clinic attenders, prisoners, health care workers and blood donors.

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which population groups are at greatest risk of acquiring hepatitis C infection and what plans it has to test or screen these groups.

Mr Andy Kerr: Health Protection Scotland estimates that approximately 90% of the estimated 50,000 persons in Scotland, who have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), are either former or current injecting drug users, and this population group is thus at greatest risk.

  In consequence, since HCV testing became available in 1991, thousands of injecting drug users in Scotland have been tested for HCV in the context of guidelines, distributed by the Scottish Executive Health Department, which recommend that all injecting drug users should be offered an HCV test. Steps are being taken to increase awareness of HCV and HCV testing among current and former injecting drug users, and healthcare workers who would be involved in the HCV testing process.

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to prevent any further increase in the number of people infected with hepatitis C.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what awareness or education measures it has in place, or are planned, to highlight the dangers of hepatitis C, particularly to high risk groups.

Mr Andy Kerr: A range of measures have been taken, including –

  allocating over £8 million annually to NHS boards for action to prevent the spread of bloodborne viruses, including hepatitis C;

  revising the Lord Advocate’s guidelines to permit a substantial increase in the number of needles and syringes, which can be supplied to drug misusers;

  issuing a range of information materials to drug services and prisons across Scotland to highlight the risks from injecting, including from hepatitis C;

  an additional £6 million, announced in October 2004, linked to Spending Review 2004. This brings the funding for drug treatment and rehabilitation to £32.5 million per annum from 2005-06;

  issuing hepatitis C materials for professionals and patients;

  funding the establishment of a national clinical database of patients diagnosed with hepatitis to help evaluate the effectiveness of treatment;

  giving grant towards the UK Hepatitis C Resource Centre Scotland, which is based in Glasgow and offers support and advice on testing and treatment to those affected by hepatitis C, and

  a number of research studies have been commissioned by the Executive’s Drug Misuse Research Programme which have increased our knowledge of injecting practices among drug users. The evidence produced by these studies will support the development of more effective interventions to prevent the transmission of hepatitis C.

  In addition, an action plan is being developed for issue in spring 2005, which will set out the action in train and proposed to tackle hepatitis C.eHep

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what account it will take of feedback from the hepatitis C awareness campaign in England in any plans for a similar campaign in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: These are issues, which are being considered in the context of the Action Plan, to which the answer given to question S2W-13550 on 24 January 2005 refers. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Hepatitis

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients infected with hepatitis C are currently not being treated with antiviral agents.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Homelessness

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of providing temporary accommodation to homeless people has been in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it allocates to NHS boards to employ staff whose job is primarily to tackle MRSA.

Mr Andy Kerr: Infection control is accepted by all NHS boards as a vital component of their work and the budgets they set make provision for this.

  The Scottish Executive has not allocated specific funding for infection control but funding has been provided for additional training of 3,000 cleanliness champions, one for every ward and clinical unit in Scotland. They will promote best practice and the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene in clinical areas.

  I expect to make a further announcement regarding hospital-acquired infection soon.

Housing

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to combat the risk of naturally-occurring radon gas in homes.

Mr Malcolm Chisholm: The naturally-occurring gas radon disperses in open air but can accumulate in houses. Following advice in 1990 by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), the UK government set an action level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre for radon in homes. Where radon is found to be above this set level, action to reduce exposure to radon is recommended. Local authorities can assist with grant owners who cannot afford to meet the cost of remedial works.

  After advice given by NRPB in 1993, two radon affected areas were designated in Scotland. These are areas where there is a 1% or higher possibility of houses being above the action level. One of the areas includes parts of Aberdeenshire and the other is in the eastern part of the Highland area. I would encourage house owners within the affected areas to have their homes tested and, if necessary, take action to reduce the radon level in their homes. The building regulations require that in radon affected areas appropriate anti-radon preventative measures must be incorporated into new houses or extensions as they are being built.

  The Executive has commissioned the NRPB to complete its survey of radon in housing across Scotland and to update its advice on the radiological significance of levels of radon in Scotland.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what policy development it is undertaking relevant to the housing of older people.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland aims to deliver good quality, sustainable and affordable housing and housing support across various tenures to all client groups, including older people.

  While there are various initiatives, grant-funded programmes and advice services in operation assisting older people in identifying and maintaining suitable housing we continue to develop new, and deliver current policies in order to meet our commitment to better housing for all including:

  Supporting People Programme – provides revenue funding for housing support services which helps older people remain in their own home and communities longer;

  Fuel poverty/central heating programme - provides central heating systems to householders over 60 in private rented or owner occupied accommodation where there is no central heating system or the system has irretrievably broken down, and to householders over 80 in this sector who have partial or inefficient systems;

  improvement and repair grants/private sector housing grants - are available to help older people to carry out work on their homes, and

  Care and Repair services – provides direct revenue funding to local care and repair projects, and capital funding (via local authority housing improvement and repair grants), to deliver a range of services to older people so they can improve and/or adapt their homes in order to remain there longer.

  More generally, the Executive is involving stakeholders, including older people representative groups and bodies, in developing policies on a range of housing issues which are specifically relevant to older people. These include:

  measures in the forthcoming legislation on private housing, for example to strengthen the rights of tenants and to enable financial assistance to be targeted to householders who need it most, and;

  to improve assessment of the need for affordable housing.

  In addition to delivering the above policies the Executive requires, local authorities to identify and meet the housing needs of older people within their local housing strategies. These strategies ensure that the housing needs of older people are effectively met at a local level.

Housing

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the accounts of Barrhead Housing Association have been passed without reservation or comment in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Ms Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The annual financial statements of Barrhead Housing Association Ltd have received an unqualified external audit opinion each year since 1999.

Mental Health

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to ensure that the recommendations in the RARARI Bid 79 Report on the safe management and transfer of acutely-disturbed psychiatric patients in remote and rural areas have been adopted as good practice by NHS boards that serve rural areas.

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards that serve rural areas have set up psychiatric emergency plans, as referred to in the RARARI Bid 79 Report.

Rhona Brankin: £200,000 was provided to NHS boards toward the costs of planning and delivering the Psychiatric Emergency Plans as recommended in the RARARI Bid 79 Report, (Bib. number 31082).

  So far, Tayside and Dumfries and Galloway NHS boards have set up psychiatric emergency plans. The other NHS boards are at an advanced stage of development in each case.

  Safe management and transfer of patients is an integral aspect of the plans and I am encouraged that partners are including the local police and ambulance services in their considerations. The Scottish Ambulance Service is also reviewing its national protocol for response to mental health emergencies.

Mental Health

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community hospitals have specific facilities for dealing with psychiatric patients, including an interview room with adequate safety features within the accident and emergency department, as recommended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matter for NHS boards about which information is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the practice of holding psychiatric patients in police cells continues and, if so, how many psychiatric patients have been detained in police cells in 2004 to date.

Mr Andy Kerr: The patient information requested is not held centrally. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 does recognise that there will be circumstances where there is no immediate alternative other than to use a police station.

Mental Health

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by NHS boards in setting up a rural mental health network, as recommended in the RARARI Bid 79 Report.

Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matter for NHS boards and their partners. However, a mental health network has been established to support implementation of the new Mental Health Act and I am encouraged that learning networks and other shared interest fora are beginning to develop within this network.

Mental Health

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in, or from, remote mainland and island localities have been detained in hospital without their consent under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in 2004 to date.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally. However the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is notified of detentions under the 1984 Act and may be able to provide some information in relation to this query. They may be contacted at:

  The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland K Floor Argyle House 3 Lady Lawson Street Edinburgh EH3 9SH  Telephone: 0131 222 6111.

Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether powers of attorney obtained prior to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 coming into force are still legally valid.

Rhona Brankin: Yes. The coming into force of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 will not affect the validity of powers of attorney registered under the 2000 act. Continuing and welfare powers of attorney are regulated by the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. For a power of attorney to have authority, it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian under section 19 of the 2000 act.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what distinctive duties will be carried out by the Minister for Finance and Public Services and the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in respect of their responsibilities for external affairs.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform is responsible for external relations including the co-ordination of European Union policy and relationships with the institutions, member states and regions of the European Union. In particular he will be responsible for the development of policy and the delivery of the Executive’s objectives in relation to Scotland’s International Image and the Fresh Talent initiative.

  The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will have particular responsibility for the Executive’s policy on, and contribution to, international development.

  Both the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform and the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will support the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in representing and promoting Scotland.

NHS Staff

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the new consultant contract within the NHS.

Mr Andy Kerr: Good progress has been made in implementing the new consultant contract within NHSScotland.

  NHS boards were asked to complete the job planning process by the end of May. This has taken slightly longer than anticipated but the majority of boards have now completed this process.

  Around 98% of consultants in Scotland gave a formal commitment to the new contract by 31 December 2003. Information shows that by September 2004, 95% of consultants, who gave a formal commitment to the contract by that date had received final job plan offers, 2% had decided not to move on to the new contract with a further 3% in the mediation process or had not a job plan offer. Further progress has been made since September but final figures are not yet available.

NHS Staff

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants have yet to reach agreement on the new consultant contract, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: Final figures are not yet available.

  However, in September 2004, 83% of consultants had reached agreement on the contract and signed off their job plans.

  12% of consultants had been offered job plans by their employer but not yet agreed them at the time of the data collection.

  2% of consultants had decided not to move to the new contract and 3% of consultants were in mediation about their job plan or had not received an offer of a job plan.

  NHS boards have made progress since then and a data collection is currently being undertaken by boards. The final figures are not yet available.

NHS Staff

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants have agreed contracts to work more than 48 hours per week and on what basis, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not collected centrally.

  Information is available by NHS board on the average number of programmed activities (i.e. four hour blocks of work) contained in consultants’ job plans. The average figure for Scotland is 11.6, which indicates that on average consultants are contracting to working less than 48 hours per week.

NHS Staff

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS consultants have agreed remuneration packages for sessions worked beyond 48 hours per week and, if so, how many and on what basis, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: No information about the terms and conditions of service for individual consultants has been collected by the Scottish Executive Health Department. This is confidential to NHS boards and the consultants.

NHS Staff

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy on the remuneration of NHS consultants for work done beyond 48 hours per week.

Mr Andy Kerr: No. The new consultant contract includes a mechanism for prospective job plans to be agreed to reflect the service needs of the organisation and the requirements of the European Working Time Directive.

  Employers therefore have to consider how they will deliver services in line with the European Working Time Directive, using service re-design or the recruitment of additional staff as options according to local need.

Pensions

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to issue a public consultation on the review of the NHS Superannuation Scheme in Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The responsibility for the review of the NHS Superannuation Scheme in Scotland (NHS Scheme) lies with the Scottish NHS HR Forum (HRF). HRF have tasked the review to the Scottish Pensions Review Group (SPensiR).

  SPensiR have today launched a public consultation on the review of the NHS scheme. The consultation document contains options and recommendations for a new NHS scheme for new staff, and transitional arrangements for existing staff.

  The public consultation will run until 25 April 2005, and the consultation document can be accessed at www.scotland.gov.uk/sppa. Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35022).

Prescription Charges

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost to be of removing the requirement for people with asthma to pay prescription charges.

Mr Andy Kerr: It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate because prescription data is not condition specific. However, an indication of the upper level of prescription charges can be derived from an analysis of the prescriptions for medicines that can be used in the management of asthma and those that attracted a prescription charge.

  Drugs used in the management of asthma are given in chapter 3 of the British National Formulary (BNF), specifically sections 3.1 to 3.3. The table below shows the number of drugs in these categories that were dispensed in 2003-04. The data covers prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital based clinics.

  Of the 4,328,655 prescribed items below, 440,222 were charged at the point of sale, raising £2.83 million for direct patient care. This figure does not include "Asthma" patients who buy a pre-payment certificate to pay for their prescriptions.

  Table – Volume of Asthma Drugs – 2003-04

  

BNF Sub Section Code
Description
No of Prescribed items


30101
Adrenoceptor agonists
2,254,828


30102
Antimuscarinic bronchodilators
259,426


30103
Theophylline
109,537


30104
Compound bronchodilators
185,168


30200
Corticosteroids
1,424,114


30301
Cromoglicate and related therapy
9,224


30302
Leukotriene receptor antagonists
86,358


Total
 
4,328,655

Roads

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage local authorities to plan for home zones to address the interests of pedestrians and cyclists.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive issued guidance on implementing home zones to local authorities in 2002. The guidance lists several aims for home zone schemes, including to improve provision for pedestrians and cyclists. It also states that although home zones are not anti-car, they do try to shift the balance in favour of other road users, particularly people on foot or cycle. The guidance contains practical advice, including designing for pedestrians and cyclists.

  A new planning advice note on residential streets is in preparation and will be published in spring 2005. It will encourage home zones as good practice and include them as a case study.

  The Executive hosted a conference in February 2004 to promote home zones to people involved in designing, building and improving housing developments.

  On 4 November 2004, I announced that funding to local authorities for the introduction of 20mph schemes around schools, related safety projects and the development of home zones would continue to 2008. I also announced the continuation of dedicated Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets funding to local authorities, which local authorities may also use for home zone projects.

Roads

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on whether Berebriggs Road, Strathaven, will be closed, as proposed by South Lanarkshire Council.

Nicol Stephen: South Lanarkshire Council promoted the South Lanarkshire Council  (Berebriggs Road, Strathaven) (Stopping Up Order) 2004 under Section 68 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. Several objections were received to this Order and, as required by legislation, it was forwarded to Scottish ministers for their determination on 16 December 2004.

  The matter is currently under consideration and every effort will be made to reach an early decision on the order.

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the upgrade of the A74 from Gretna to Carlisle and what the outcome was of these discussions.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty's Government on a range of transport issues in England which have implications for Scotland, including construction of the M6 from Carlisle to Guards Mill at Gretna.

Roads

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive why West Kilbride has been omitted from directional informatory signage on the A78 Three Towns Bypass and what action it will take to address the position.

Nicol Stephen: With effect from 19 January 2005, West Kilbride has been signed, both in terms of direction and distance, from the northern section of the new A78 Three Towns Bypass.

Science

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which science centres received grants from it in 2004-05; how much each centre received; which centres will receive grants in 2005-06, and what the value of each grant will be.

Mr Jim Wallace: The latest estimates for Scottish Executive funding to Scottish science centres in 2004-05 are:

  

Glasgow Science Centre
£127,000


Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
£838,256


Satrosphere, Aberdeen
£630,945


Sensation, Dundee
£544,000


Total
£2,140,201



  Planned expenditure by the Scottish Executive in 2005-06 for the Science Centres Programme is £2.9 million. The allocation of this budget to individual centres will be decided on the basis of business plans yet to be submitted.

Scottish Executive Departments

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much each of its departments and agencies spent on IT consultants in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Tom McCabe: The expenditure, by Department and Agency, on IT Consultancy activities over the last five years is as follows:

  

Department/Agency
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
(to date)


Finance and Central Services
0
0
0
£9,000
£50,000


Health 
0
0
0
£6,350
0


Justice
£100,400
£117,000
£155,000
£138,000
£63,300


Accountant in Bankruptcy
0
0
£21,000
0
£3,000


Communities Scotland
0
£42,000
£173,000
£118,000
£36,000


Registers of Scotland
£92,000
£12,000
£179,000
£66,000
£60,000


Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
0
0
£50,000
£55,000
£11,000


Her Majesty’s Inspector of Education
0
0
£43,000
£20,000
£1,000


Historic Scotland
0
£15,000
£35,000
£31,000
£48,000


Crofters Commission
0
0
0
£19,000
£93,000


Marine Laboratory
0
£8,000
£1,000
0
£4,000


Deer Commission
0
0
0
0
£5,000


Scottish Agriculture Science
0
£7,700
0
0
0


Corporate Funding 
£235,000
£187,000
£166,000
£321,000
£82,000



  "IT Consultancy" is defined as IT services such as an IS Strategy Study or Review; a Feasibility, Scoping or Business Analysis Study for a specific IT project; an IT Project Review; an IT Project audit or health check carried out by independent external resources.

Scottish Executive Finance

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many invoices it has received that have been disputed, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of invoices received, in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: Financial Year
FY 1999
FY 2000
FY 2001
FY 2002
FY 2003
FY 2004 (Apr-Dec)


*%age Disputed – Total
0.47
0.48
0.40
0.08
0.52
0.65


*Total Number of Invoices – Total
192,292
172,649
130,862
174,364
140,162
138,481


*Number Disputed – Total
899
821
521
143
726
894



  Note:

  *Total includes SE Core, Agencies (including Registers of Scotland), Consolidated Invoice Transactions and Government Procurement Card Transactions (where applicable).

Scottish Executive Funding

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7188 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 April 2004, what level of funding it has provided to Caledonia Youth in 2004-05.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive has provided funding of £454,574 to Caledonia Youth so far in the year 2004-05. A further £246,548 is expected to be provided before the end of March 2005.

Scottish Executive Funding

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding it has allocated to ASH Scotland in each year since 1999 and whether it has any plans to discontinue this funding.

Mr Andy Kerr: Funding allocations for ASH Scotland in each year since 1999 are as follows:-

  

Funding Allocation
1999-2000
£
2000-01
£
2001-02
£
2002-03
£
2003-04
£
2004-05
£


16b Core Funding
117,000
120,400
120,400
170,500
179,000
227,500


Tobacco Inequalities Project
71,000
97,500
70,000
41,000
72,000
73,000


ASH Information Service
 
 
 
57,000
56,000
56,000


Admin costs for lottery funded project
 
 
 
 
11,000
10,000


Capital Funding
 
 
6,500
1,000
35,000
17,500


Tobacco Control Alliance Co-ordinator
 
15,000
 
 
 
 


Website Development
 
40,700
 
 
 
 


Evaluation Resource Pack
 
 
55,000
 
 
 



  In addition the Partnership Action on Tobacco and Health was established by the Scottish Executive in 2002 to establish national training standards for smoking cessation services; identify best practice and advise on data collection for services. PATH is currently housed in the offices of ASH Scotland.

  ASH (Scotland) is the only voluntary sector agency dealing with tobacco control issues in Scotland. Tobacco control remains a key priority for the Executive and there are no plans to discontinue funding to ASH Scotland.

Skye Bridge

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public funding was allocated in respect of the Skye Bridge and how much funding Skye Bridge Limited received in (a) tolls and (b) subsidies in each year since the bridge was opened.

Nicol Stephen: The total cost of the Skye Bridge project was £39 million, of which some £15 million was publicly funded. Both these figures are quoted at 1991 prices.

  Toll receipts totalled £33,370,829 in cash terms between October 1995 and September 2004. This includes compensation payments, totalling £7,564,517 in cash terms, in respect of the costs of increased frequent user discounts from 1998, the freeze on toll levels from 2000 and the imposition of VAT on tolls from February 2003. A breakdown of these totals is set out in the following table:

  

Year
Toll
Revenue (£)
Compensation
Payments (£)


1995
397,599
0


1996
3,178,385
0


1997
3,253,993
0


1998
3,579,642
637,482


1999
3,666,434
712,723


2000
3,755,373
801,483


2001
3,641,085
858,414


2002
4,003,881
1,028,589


2003
4,137,522
1,623,888


2004
3,756,915
1,901,938

Skye Bridge

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite the Auditor General for Scotland to investigate the implications of the Skye Bridge contract for future public finance initiatives and whether the public funding allocated under the contract represented good use of public money.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has no plans to in this regard.

Smoking

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase its smoking cessation programmes as part of its proposed ban on smoking in public places, particularly in the period between enactment of the proposed bill and its implementation.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive announced an additional £4 million for smoking cessation services for 2005-06. This more than doubles the funding available for cessation services and will allow smoking cessation programmes to expand to meet the increased demand for services which is likely to stem from the implementation of the ban on smoking in public places.

Sport

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sports co-ordinators are employed by each local authority, expressed also as a ratio to the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children.

Patricia Ferguson: The information requested is not readily identifiable. The Active Schools staffing network of managers and co-ordinators is still growing. There are now approximately 340 Active School co-ordinators in secondary schools and approximately 190 covering clusters of primary schools. Recruitment is on-going. Co-ordinators in primary schools are employed on a full-time basis. Those in secondary schools are employed for one day per week with some local authorities choosing to deploy co-ordinators for two days in some schools.

Transport

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will endorse a road equivalent tariff ferry structure as a quid pro quo for the Western Isles’ contribution towards meeting the Executive’s renewable energy targets.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-7850 on 10 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to "promote quality contracts for bus services", as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Nicol Stephen: The Executive issued comprehensive guidance in October 2001 covering the bus measures in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, including quality contracts. The aim of the guidance was to help authorities consider and assess the wide range of options available to them under the 2001 act. We are currently considering what further assistance the Executive might give to the development of best practice on quality contracts.